“Oh. If it isn’t the brat of the McCrary family. What do you want, Alexandria?”
As if she didn’t hear the cold tone, Alexandria continued to smile gently, her smile not faltering in the slightest.
“Oh, don’t be so cold, Kai. I’ve told you to call me Alex, not Alexandria. It’s not like we haven’t known each other since I was a kid. And is this Luca? He’s getting so big now. How are you doing, Luca? Do you remember me? You can call me Auntie Alex. Can you say, Auntie Alex?” Alexandria dragged out her words slowly, the way you would speak to a baby who didn’t understand anything.
Luca glanced at the woman speaking to him before furrowing his brows in anger and turning away angrily. He had only one auntie, and it wasn’t her.
Seeing it, Alexandria laughed gently, the sound ringing out.
“It seems you have a little rebel on your hands. He certainly reminds me of all the stories I heard about you when you were younger, Kai. So grumpy, even with these fluffy cheeks. Has he started getting into fights because he’s just as handsome as you were? I’m sure all the little girls love him, and all the boys hate him.”
As she reached out to squeeze Luca’s cheek, Kaiser took a step back while slapping her hand away.
“He doesn’t like people touching him, and you know I don’t like people in my personal space or calling me Kai without permission. If you don’t have anything useful to say, let’s wrap up the hellows and goodbyes and go our separate ways, Alexandria. ”
Seeing the woman continue to ignore her even though she was standing right next to Kaiser, her eyes glued to him, Valentina took a step back and prepared to act like a spectator. All she needed was some popcorn, and she would be set to go.
“Ouchies. Why would you hit a pretty young lady like me? And you’re so strict. How mean.” Alexandria pouted, but seeing Kaiser’s continued cold expression, she batted her lashes before smiling again.
“…Alexandria.”
“I’m here to have a meal with my father. Actually, he’s been saying he wanted to see you and have a chat as well. Apparently, there’s a minor misunderstanding between you and my eldest brother. Why don’t you come and eat with us? I can call my eldest brother as well so you two can resolve the misunderstanding. I’m sure I’ll get bonus points if I bring you along, teehee. That way, Daddy can forgive me for going over my credit card limit this month. Actually, elder sister is ar-”
As she watched the girl ignore Kaiser’s annoyed expression and singlehandedly carry the conversation without even taking a breath, Valentina really wanted to applaud her.
This was skill.
This was talent.
This was drama!
Never had she seen Kaiser’s expression darken so much with his brows furrowed in an angry ‘V,’ and yet Alexandria kept on talking obliviously, laughing and smiling happily all by herself.
She honestly had to praise the woman’s self-confidence.
If somebody looked at her as if she were a cockroach interrupting their meal and they wanted to stomp her to death, she would simply evaporate on the spot to get away as fast as possible.
Kaiser, on the other hand, had switched from an angry expression to sheer boredom. She had thought he would immediately chase the girl away, but he just looked around without saying anything.
As the girl finally took a deep breath, Valentina turned to Kaiser, waiting for his rebuttal. She really wished she had some popcorn or peanuts to snack on.
Kaiser gazed around with a bored expression as he searched for the nonexistent host who refused to appear before his eyes turned to Valentina. Seeing her watching him with her mask on, her eyes curved with amusement as if she were watching a fun drama, he gave her a sly smile and mouthed. ‘Come here.’
Seeing his expression, she subtly shook her head, telling him, ‘Leave me out of this. I want to be an observer. I enjoy seeing you get harassed.’
The smile on Kaiser’s face got wider as he cocked his eyebrow at her before laughing and walking over, dragging her forward by the waist so she stood next to him.
“I’m glad you know how to stop to take a breath. Regardless, I’m having a private meal with my family, so I’ll have to decline your offer. I’ll see your father another time, but tell him, chairman, I said hello and not to put his nose in your brother’s business unless he’s ready to deal with my temper. As for your brother, he already knows how to resolve the ‘minor misunderstanding’ with me and has both my personal and work numbers. The ball is in his court.”
As Valentina glared up at him, the smile on his face widened as he stroked her waist and bent to kiss her head.
As Alexandria watched the display of affection in front of her, she put on the brightest smile she could muster.
Finally turning to her, Alexandria widened her eyes in mock surprise.
“Oh my gosh. I am so rude. I didn’t see you there. You were so quiet; I thought you were invisible. Hi. Are you the servant, assistant, or nanny?” Alexandria giggled while covering her mouth.
Valentina: “……” okay. I get it. You were ignoring my existence, and now you want to bring me down. Even though the girl couldn’t see it, she gave her a cold smile. She could definitely understand why Kaiser had called her a brat. Unfortunately for Alexandria, she hated catty girls the most.
“Alexandria,” Kaiser called out warningly, but Valentina tapped his arm.
“Tee hee. Sorry, Kaiser. It’s just a joke between girls.”
“What’s the joke?” Valentina asked calmly.
“What do you mean?” Alexandria’s eyes widened as she didn’t think the woman in front of her would dare question her.
“I said, what’s the joke? It might be because I’m slow, so I didn’t get it the first time. Can you explain it to me so I can laugh, too?” Valentina slowly spoke in a clipped tone, making sure each word was heard clearly.
“I also didn’t get it. Explain it.” Kaiser ordered with a cold smile as if daring her to speak, and Alexandria felt a chill go down her back.
As Alexandria’s eyes began rolling around, trying to find a way to salvage the situation, she defaulted to her usual trifecta of tactics she used at home. Deflect, deny, then cry. Deflect everything with a silly laugh, deny her actions as a joke, and if all else fails, cry and throw a tantrum.
“Ah, it’s an inside joke I share with my friends. It wouldn’t be funny if I explained it. Haha.”
She giggled like a little girl and stuck her tongue out before glancing at the green-eyed woman whom both Kaiser and Luca had barely been able to look away from.
“If it’s an inside joke with your friends, then maybe you should only say it around them. That way, you don’t cause a misunderstanding. Haha.”
As Valentina finished speaking, adding a sarcastic laugh at the end, she saw Alexandria’s face almost scrunch up in anger before she smoothed it out once more.
“Haha, how nice. Well, I’ve known Kaiser for over ten years, and I’ve never seen you before. Is she one of your distant family members? A cousin? Why don’t you introduce us to Kaiser? ”
Looking at the poorly concealed anger in the woman in front of him, Kaiser wanted to burst out laughing. His hands were around Valentina’s waist, and he held her tight to his body. Did it make sense to ask if this was his cousin?
Sure enough, the brat was truly a brat. No brains and always looking for trouble. He had meant to have a nice peaceful lunch with Valentina and Luca, but since trouble had so kindly delivered itself at his door, he didn’t mind venting a little. And rather than bothering with the little girl in front of him, it would lodge a complaint to the elder one in the back.
Besides, whether or not Alexandria knew the truth of what happened, the downgrading of the harsh words that Chairmain McCrary’s grandson had callously told Luca to a ‘minor misunderstanding’ was something he didn’t find funny at all.
Children were a reflection of what went on in the house if a young child knew to say that about his son, he could only have learned it from his elders. Kaiser knew he couldn’t say he was a good parent, but the basic principles of adulthood were to say things to people’s faces and to apologize when you were wrong. Things that others wouldn’t dare say to his face were being said to his son, and even if concessions were made to him when he found out, an apology needed to be given to the injured party, Luca.
And since the eldest son of Chairman McCrary felt it was beneath him for both he and his son to apologize to Luca, he would go cause them trouble the same way Alexandria did to him. However, his version of trouble would cause them a bit more damage.
Although he felt bad for the chairman, who was honestly a good man with mostly terrible children and would be blindsided by this information, he didn’t feel bad enough not to stop himself from acting.
Hopefully, this would keep the troublesome ones away from him.
Kaiser sneered at Alexandria before tightening his arms around Valentina’s waist and began drumming his fingers impatiently.
Where the hell was the host?
Taking a deep breath of the sweet scent coming from Valentina, he interrupted Alexandria’s rambling and spoke as blandly as possible.
“Valentina, this annoying brat is Alexandria McCrary, the youngest and favorite child of Chairman McCrary. Their family is mainly in construction and real estate, and they collaborate with us on quite a few projects. Alexandria, this is Valentina, who is my dear guest. ”
“Valentina? Wow. What a unique name. It’s so exotic. But no last name? Which family are you from? Are you…a commoner? From a regular family?”
“Her last name isn’t important, as I’ve told you. She’s a guest. Watch your tone and be polite. Don’t make me say it a second time.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry, Kaiser. I’m young, so my manners are not quite there, but it’s cute and charming, right? Tee hee. Isn’t that why you call me a brat? Besides, she has a mask on as she’s being introduced to your friend. Isn’t that rude, too? Why are you scolding only me?” Alexandria whined.
Looking at the girl who looked to be the same age as her, confidently claiming to be young and childish. Valentina simply arched a brow before calmly pretending to remove her mask.
“I’m sick, but if you really want to see my face-”
“Nope. Nooooooo, thank you.” Alexandria immediately backed up, pulling back the hand she held out for a handshake.
Chuckling softly to himself, Valentina just looked away. Silly girl.
She hesitated for a moment before inevitably turning to Kaiser once more.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come to see my dad?”
Kaiser was silent for a moment before chuckling darkly, “Sure. I’ll stop by now since you’re basically begging me. You might as well get your eldest brother to come to. It will be a nice little gathering.”
“Great, then I’ll-”
“Go tell your father I’ll stop by to see him in a bit. I need to take care of my people first. Let’s go, Valentina. I’m sure you’re hungry and tired of standing in those shoes. Sorry for the delay.”
“Oh. If it isn’t the brat of the McCrary family. What do you want, Alexandria?”
As if she didn’t hear the cold tone, Alexandria continued to smile gently, her smile not faltering in the slightest.
“Oh, don’t be so cold, Kai. I’ve told you to call me Alex, not Alexandria. It’s not like we haven’t known each other since I was a kid. And is this Luca? He’s getting so big now. How are you doing, Luca? Do you remember me? You can call me Auntie Alex. Can you say, Auntie Alex?” Alexandria dragged out her words slowly, the way you would speak to a baby who didn’t understand anything.
Luca glanced at the woman speaking to him before furrowing his brows in anger and turning away angrily. He had only one auntie, and it wasn’t her.
Seeing it, Alexandria laughed gently, the sound ringing out.
“It seems you have a little rebel on your hands. He certainly reminds me of all the stories I heard about you when you were younger, Kai. So grumpy, even with these fluffy cheeks. Has he started getting into fights because he’s just as handsome as you were? I’m sure all the little girls love him, and all the boys hate him.”
As she reached out to squeeze Luca’s cheek, Kaiser took a step back while slapping her hand away.
“He doesn’t like people touching him, and you know I don’t like people in my personal space or calling me Kai without permission. If you don’t have anything useful to say, let’s wrap up the hellows and goodbyes and go our separate ways, Alexandria. ”
Seeing the woman continue to ignore her even though she was standing right next to Kaiser, her eyes glued to him, Valentina took a step back and prepared to act like a spectator. All she needed was some popcorn, and she would be set to go.
“Ouchies. Why would you hit a pretty young lady like me? And you’re so strict. How mean.” Alexandria pouted, but seeing Kaiser’s continued cold expression, she batted her lashes before smiling again.
“…Alexandria.”
“I’m here to have a meal with my father. Actually, he’s been saying he wanted to see you and have a chat as well. Apparently, there’s a minor misunderstanding between you and my eldest brother. Why don’t you come and eat with us? I can call my eldest brother as well so you two can resolve the misunderstanding. I’m sure I’ll get bonus points if I bring you along, teehee. That way, Daddy can forgive me for going over my credit card limit this month. Actually, elder sister is ar-”
As she watched the girl ignore Kaiser’s annoyed expression and singlehandedly carry the conversation without even taking a breath, Valentina really wanted to applaud her.
This was skill.
This was talent.
This was drama!
Never had she seen Kaiser’s expression darken so much with his brows furrowed in an angry ‘V,’ and yet Alexandria kept on talking obliviously, laughing and smiling happily all by herself.
She honestly had to praise the woman’s self-confidence.
If somebody looked at her as if she were a cockroach interrupting their meal and they wanted to stomp her to death, she would simply evaporate on the spot to get away as fast as possible.
Kaiser, on the other hand, had switched from an angry expression to sheer boredom. She had thought he would immediately chase the girl away, but he just looked around without saying anything.
As the girl finally took a deep breath, Valentina turned to Kaiser, waiting for his rebuttal. She really wished she had some popcorn or peanuts to snack on.
Kaiser gazed around with a bored expression as he searched for the nonexistent host who refused to appear before his eyes turned to Valentina. Seeing her watching him with her mask on, her eyes curved with amusement as if she were watching a fun drama, he gave her a sly smile and mouthed. ‘Come here.’
Seeing his expression, she subtly shook her head, telling him, ‘Leave me out of this. I want to be an observer. I enjoy seeing you get harassed.’
The smile on Kaiser’s face got wider as he cocked his eyebrow at her before laughing and walking over, dragging her forward by the waist so she stood next to him.
“I’m glad you know how to stop to take a breath. Regardless, I’m having a private meal with my family, so I’ll have to decline your offer. I’ll see your father another time, but tell him, chairman, I said hello and not to put his nose in your brother’s business unless he’s ready to deal with my temper. As for your brother, he already knows how to resolve the ‘minor misunderstanding’ with me and has both my personal and work numbers. The ball is in his court.”
As Valentina glared up at him, the smile on his face widened as he stroked her waist and bent to kiss her head.
As Alexandria watched the display of affection in front of her, she put on the brightest smile she could muster.
Finally turning to her, Alexandria widened her eyes in mock surprise.
“Oh my gosh. I am so rude. I didn’t see you there. You were so quiet; I thought you were invisible. Hi. Are you the servant, assistant, or nanny?” Alexandria giggled while covering her mouth.
Valentina: “……” okay. I get it. You were ignoring my existence, and now you want to bring me down. Even though the girl couldn’t see it, she gave her a cold smile. She could definitely understand why Kaiser had called her a brat. Unfortunately for Alexandria, she hated catty girls the most.
“Alexandria,” Kaiser called out warningly, but Valentina tapped his arm.
“Tee hee. Sorry, Kaiser. It’s just a joke between girls.”
“What’s the joke?” Valentina asked calmly.
“What do you mean?” Alexandria’s eyes widened as she didn’t think the woman in front of her would dare question her.
“I said, what’s the joke? It might be because I’m slow, so I didn’t get it the first time. Can you explain it to me so I can laugh, too?” Valentina slowly spoke in a clipped tone, making sure each word was heard clearly.
“I also didn’t get it. Explain it.” Kaiser ordered with a cold smile as if daring her to speak, and Alexandria felt a chill go down her back.
As Alexandria’s eyes began rolling around, trying to find a way to salvage the situation, she defaulted to her usual trifecta of tactics she used at home. Deflect, deny, then cry. Deflect everything with a silly laugh, deny her actions as a joke, and if all else fails, cry and throw a tantrum.
“Ah, it’s an inside joke I share with my friends. It wouldn’t be funny if I explained it. Haha.”
She giggled like a little girl and stuck her tongue out before glancing at the green-eyed woman whom both Kaiser and Luca had barely been able to look away from.
“If it’s an inside joke with your friends, then maybe you should only say it around them. That way, you don’t cause a misunderstanding. Haha.”
As Valentina finished speaking, adding a sarcastic laugh at the end, she saw Alexandria’s face almost scrunch up in anger before she smoothed it out once more.
“Haha, how nice. Well, I’ve known Kaiser for over ten years, and I’ve never seen you before. Is she one of your distant family members? A cousin? Why don’t you introduce us to Kaiser? ”
Looking at the poorly concealed anger in the woman in front of him, Kaiser wanted to burst out laughing. His hands were around Valentina’s waist, and he held her tight to his body. Did it make sense to ask if this was his cousin?
Sure enough, the brat was truly a brat. No brains and always looking for trouble. He had meant to have a nice peaceful lunch with Valentina and Luca, but since trouble had so kindly delivered itself at his door, he didn’t mind venting a little. And rather than bothering with the little girl in front of him, it would lodge a complaint to the elder one in the back.
Besides, whether or not Alexandria knew the truth of what happened, the downgrading of the harsh words that Chairmain McCrary’s grandson had callously told Luca to a ‘minor misunderstanding’ was something he didn’t find funny at all.
Children were a reflection of what went on in the house if a young child knew to say that about his son, he could only have learned it from his elders. Kaiser knew he couldn’t say he was a good parent, but the basic principles of adulthood were to say things to people’s faces and to apologize when you were wrong. Things that others wouldn’t dare say to his face were being said to his son, and even if concessions were made to him when he found out, an apology needed to be given to the injured party, Luca.
And since the eldest son of Chairman McCrary felt it was beneath him for both he and his son to apologize to Luca, he would go cause them trouble the same way Alexandria did to him. However, his version of trouble would cause them a bit more damage.
Although he felt bad for the chairman, who was honestly a good man with mostly terrible children and would be blindsided by this information, he didn’t feel bad enough not to stop himself from acting.
Hopefully, this would keep the troublesome ones away from him.
Kaiser sneered at Alexandria before tightening his arms around Valentina’s waist and began drumming his fingers impatiently.
Where the hell was the host?
Taking a deep breath of the sweet scent coming from Valentina, he interrupted Alexandria’s rambling and spoke as blandly as possible.
“Valentina, this annoying brat is Alexandria McCrary, the youngest and favorite child of Chairman McCrary. Their family is mainly in construction and real estate, and they collaborate with us on quite a few projects. Alexandria, this is Valentina, who is my dear guest. ”
“Valentina? Wow. What a unique name. It’s so exotic. But no last name? Which family are you from? Are you…a commoner? From a regular family?”
“Her last name isn’t important, as I’ve told you. She’s a guest. Watch your tone and be polite. Don’t make me say it a second time.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry, Kaiser. I’m young, so my manners are not quite there, but it’s cute and charming, right? Tee hee. Isn’t that why you call me a brat? Besides, she has a mask on as she’s being introduced to your friend. Isn’t that rude, too? Why are you scolding only me?” Alexandria whined.
Looking at the girl who looked to be the same age as her, confidently claiming to be young and childish. Valentina simply arched a brow before calmly pretending to remove her mask.
“I’m sick, but if you really want to see my face-”
“Nope. Nooooooo, thank you.” Alexandria immediately backed up, pulling back the hand she held out for a handshake.
Chuckling softly to himself, Valentina just looked away. Silly girl.
She hesitated for a moment before inevitably turning to Kaiser once more.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come to see my dad?”
Kaiser was silent for a moment before chuckling darkly, “Sure. I’ll stop by now since you’re basically begging me. You might as well get your eldest brother to come to. It will be a nice little gathering.”
“Great, then I’ll-”
“Go tell your father I’ll stop by to see him in a bit. I need to take care of my people first. Let’s go, Valentina. I’m sure you’re hungry and tired of standing in those shoes. Sorry for the delay.”
